Maximo's Prejudice (1)

In the same stadium, they entered a room that looked like an old office. As soon as they entered, Malcom noticed the other people in the room.

Malcom looked at the two familiar Virtues, Jonah and Mabel, who were casually sitting at the back of the room. They were talking between themselves.

It did not take long for the two to notice them.

Jonah's eyes were warm as he congratulated Malcom, "Good victory Malcom!" He said with a thumbs up.

Mabel snorted, "Right! But your popularity destroys our business! We couldn't get that much this time!" She complained as if she was pouting.

Malcom resisted the urge to glare at her. Was she saying that he should pretend to be on the losing end to get more money?

"You should have run away, then pretend to be wounded and badly hurt first! Then, bam, you turn the tables and go for the kill swiftly!" Mabel said animatedly, answering Malcom's silent complaint.

Jonah laughed loud because of this. "Well, you should consider it, kid. Bets are really a good way to earn money," He said. Jonah was reminiscing about something from his past.

Malcom could only look at them dryly.

When exasperated, Maximo said, "Stop it, you two! That is not behavior for a Virtue!"

Mabel shrugged her shoulders with a smile. "Maybe it isn't, but it's really lucrative! I swear. Why not give it a try, yeah?" She tried to persuade.

Maximo gave a snort of frustration when he calmly sat on one of the pieces of furniture and. He then pointed to another piece of furniture for the young man to sit on.

The room was square, in three of its four walls. It had large libraries with different paintings and ornaments adorning the last one. The mottled terracotta carpet made the acrid tone of the room stand out.

In the middle, there was a tea table where several armchairs gathered around it.

The Virtues were seated on it, and Malcom took a seat in one of the remaining ones.

The boy looked at them all, trying to maintain a nonchalant expression. However, it was, of course, easier said than done. Aside from their high positions, Virtues also gave off a domineering presence due to their strong magic.

As someone who could only use 20% of his magic, Malcom could feel the pressure coming from everyone in the room easily.

"How did you do it?" Jonah asked suddenly with a curious gaze and small smile. He looked like someone who was just genuinely interested and didn't have any hidden agenda.

Malcom's eyes widened in surprise. He expected anything rather than a conversation about his last fight.

Maximo confirmed Malcom's thoughts when he interjected.

"Jonah, behave! We did not come here to talk about sports!" Maximo chastised Jonah one more time. He already had a feeling that he was dealing with overgrown kids.

Jonah, in return, rolled his eyes but shut his mouth.

"We came here for you to tell us exactly what happened yesterday! How did you hurt your arm?" Maximo asked while looking at Malcom coldly.

Malcom expression turned alert before he started speaking, "Someone attacked me, and he hurt me. I could barely defend myself, and if it weren't for Skyler―"

"Skyler?" Maximo interrupted with notable concern.

"Yes, she saved my life!" The Marked looked Maximo in the eyes. Malcom did not know how his words would impact the other, but he said them anyway because that was the truth.

Maximo took a deep breath and, looking at Jonah, who now showed a highly serious countenance.

"And do you think that the person responsible for this attack is Satin?" Maximo asked coldly.

Jonah nodded seriously before he explained, "The description that the boy gave about his attacker matches with Satin. And you also have to admit that his injuries are tremendous. Only a person with great strength could inflict them."

Maximo smirked before responding with contempt, "Don't forget that he is a Marked, and he was not supposed to be able to defend himself efficiently!"

Just as Maximo said that Malcom felt a wave of great anger creeping up his back. He was about to speak when he heard Mabel's exasperated voice say.

"Oh please! Take the baton out of your ass for a second, Maximo! Stop acting like you don't realize this boy is an efficient fighter… clearly more efficient than your niece!" Mabel pointed out fearlessly.

Maximo glared at Mabel, while she did not care and welcomed his stare with a raised brow.

Both Virtues held each other's gaze, not backing down.

Yet, it did not take long for Maximo to look away first. He then released a sigh before looking at Malcom.

"I will admit that you are more efficient than I had initially anticipated!" With those words, his gaze observed the boy carefully and continued, "You are clearly an intelligent person. And according to Skyler, you can defend yourself quite well."

Malcom was perplexed by Maximo's words. He sounded like he was giving him compliments, which was so hard to believe.

"But even being able to admit that... to think that Satin was responsible for the attack is such stupidity and waste of time!" Maximo continued vehemently.

Malcom stared at him with wide eyes. He was clearly surprised.

"Of course, he was the one!" Malcom responded through gritted teeth.

He looked at the other attendees before he continued in frustration, "Listen, Skyler cast the most powerful spell on him, and the guy stopped it with his bare hands! Tell me, is that not something only a virtue could have done?"

"Boy, you are not completely wrong in that. It's good that you look up to Virtues that much. Sadly, there are many magicians capable of doing that kind of thing," Maximo explained.

He then added, "Skyler is not yet a virtue, and her training has not even begun. It is clear that she still has a lot to learn. To think that Satin is responsible for that is silly."

"Well, check his hands!" Malcom said in exasperation.

"Alright, let's do that!" Maximo agreed with confidence.